Heavy Rain Causes Flight Delays In UAE

Over this past weekend, airports in the United Arab Emirates saw dozens of flights being delayed or cancelled due to heavy rain which fell throughout the weekend. Dubai Airports which runs Dubai International said that over fifteen flights were diverted to other airports, due to the conditions being too dangerous for aircraft to land. Emirates Airlines also reported that many of it’s flights had been affected by the rain showers as well.

Flight data showed that delays at Dubai International Airport nearly totaled 40 minutes, which meant that 61 percent of all flights ere delayed and fourteen percent were cancelled.

Heavy rain also led to the postponement of the Color Run in Abu Dhabi, a paint race that was due to take place on Saturday morning.

An Emirates spokesman advised travellers to go online to www.emirates.com to check their flight status before flying. “Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised,” she said.

An Etihad Airways spokesman said: “Abu Dhabi is again experiencing unstable weather patterns with intermittent thunderstorms that have caused eight flights to divert to airports within the UAE and GCC. The airline is working to ensure that they return to Abu Dhabi as soon as possible.

“The airline will be monitoring the weather situation in the UAE throughout the day. Any impacted guests will be informed of itinerary changes and assisted with onward travel.

“Guests can contact the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +971 (0) 2599 0000 (UAE), or visit the Etihad Airways website at www.etihad.com for further updates. Etihad Airways apologises for any inconvenience caused but the safety and security of our passengers and staff is of the utmost importance.”